I. Introduction:
a. The name Malachi means “my messenger.”
b. The prophecy is later than Haggai’s and Zechariah’s, for we are told in Malachi that the reconstruction of the temple had been complete long enough for abuses to creep into the sacrificial system.
c. The overall spiritual state of the people was in decline, divorce was widespread, mixed marriages were being contracted, and tithes had been neglected.
d. The overall structure of the book is unique among the other styles of the minor prophets:
e. The book ends with our text of focus today, speaking of the return of Elijah, a prophecy of John the Baptist in one sense and the prophecy of the spirit of Elijah returning prior to the 2nd Advent in another.